Month: August 2013

RIP, Haus Edelweiss – Again

Posted on By Tom 2 Comments on RIP, Haus Edelweiss – Again
Restaurants

Once again, Haus Edelweiss is closing. The following message was posted on on their Facebook page. it was also attached to their front door… It reads as follows: Dearest Patrons of Haus Edelweiss, We write this to you with heavy hearts. Unfortunately due to circumstances beyond our control we must close Haus Edelweiss. Since the … Read More “RIP, Haus Edelweiss – Again” »

The Beer Commercial Float

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Paddling

Lowcountry Unfiltered on the Edisto

This trip almost didn’t happen. Actually, it was supposed to have happened back in July, our traditional date for the annual Lowcountry Unfiltered Rope Swing and Beer Commercial Float on the Edisto River. However, the second Saturday in July had the highest river levels seen on the Edisto in years. It was a no-go. Even delaying a week didn’t help. The river stayed at flood stage, so we were forced to seek out an alternate trip on Lake Marion.

So, we decided to try again in August. The second Saturday came, and the waters were still high, but no so much as to make the trip impossible. I got up early and drove on down to the meeting point at Givhens Ferry State Park. Two new guys, Jim and Dan Hill, were there waiting for me. Soon the rest of the guys showed up. We redistributed boats, then drove up to our put-in at Mars Old Field Landing. Ultimately, there were nine of us on this trip – a good number. John Nelson turned on his charm and drafted a young lady to take our group photo.

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A Bridge to Nowhere

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EdTech, History and Genealogy, Paddling, Photography
Sparkleberry Swamp Altered
Sparkleberry Swamp

Somehow I found myself taking one last course for certification this summer. I’m taking one of the PBS Teacherline courses online. The course is on Dynamic Media and Digital Storytelling, a subject with which I’m already quite familiar. However, I just needed the course credit.

The course itself is been…so, so. There’s been more time spent on “Educationese” and gobbledy-goop catch phrases that I used to detest, than on actual digital storytelling.

Even so, I did manage to put together a decent (in my opinion) project. My digital story was entitled “A Bridge to Nowhere”, and it’s a summary of a previous blog post about the controversial Briggs-DeLaine-Pearson Connector, a proposed bridge from Lone Star to Rimini across Lake Marion.

The 12 minute video summarizes the history of the Santee Cooper area, and briefly touches on the controversy. I used photographs I’d taken from several paddling trips to lakes Marion and Moultrie, coupled with GoPro video. I filled in with a few maps, newspaper clippings, and historic shots to complete the video.

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Life Faster than the Documentation Thereof

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Miscellaneous

It happened again. Video projects, course work, new camera gear to review, family promotions, paddling trips on the Edisto, Perseid Meteors, Segway tours, and mountain driving – life seems to be happening faster than I can tag it with a blog post. Add to that sporadic Internet access over the next several days, and it … Read More “Life Faster than the Documentation Thereof” »

Multiple Mountain Meanderings

Posted on By Tom 1 Comment on Multiple Mountain Meanderings
Family, Photography, Rambling
Blue Ridge Parkway-1
Devil’s Courthouse

Three times this week I have made treks northward, crossing the Blue Wall into the mountains of Western North Carolina.  Two of those trips covered similar ground.  Only one was in the new Mini convertible.  All three covered ground I’ve traversed recently, so some of the photos may look a little…familiar.

Monday – Picnic at Davidson River

Last weekend Laura’s sister and mother were with us.  The weather looked good for Monday, so we decided to take a trek up to Pisgah Forest for a picnic.  We had done this trip with Laura’s cousins a couple of years ago, and her mom had loved the sound of the Davidson River rippling past our picnic area.

For this trip we loaded everyone into the Subaru and first headed up Highway 25 toward Hendersonville.  We took a brief detour through Tuxedo, then turned toward Flat Rock.  At Flat Rock we took Little River Road toward Crab Creek westward, toward Brevard.  The weather was clear and spectacular, with large fluffy white clouds and blue skies.

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